FRISCO, Texas – The regular season finale is here. The Dallas Cowboys (11-5) will take on the Eagles (9-7) on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field. Both teams have punched their ticket to the playoffs, the Eagles as an NFC wild card and the Cowboys as the NFC East division champions. With a win over Philadelphia on Saturday, the Cowboys would be undefeated against the NFC East for the first time since 1998.
For Dallas to move up to the No. 3 seed, they would need a win over the Eagles, combined with San Francisco beating the L.A. Rams and a Seahawks upset over the Cardinals. Philadelphia has won their previous four wins and if they can secure a fifth on Saturday night, they have the possibility, albeit a slim one of landing the No. 6 seed. However, they would also need a San Francisco loss. Dallas must utilize Week 18 to get back on track heading into the Wild Card round.
Here are several storylines heading into the final game of the regular season.
- Despite an embarrassment of riches on the offensive side of the ball, Dallas has not been able to get the ground game rolling or find their identity. The running game is the team’s bread-and-butter, which opens up play-action and favorable one-on-one matchups on the outside for receivers. It wears down a defense but both Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard combined for just 25 rushing yards against the Cardinals. Quarterback Dak Prescott finished with more yards on the ground individually than both with 20. History will attest that the Dallas offense is at its peak form when Kellen Moore’s unit is able to impose their will on the ground both through the tackles and on the edges using Pollard’s shiftiness in space. Against Arizona, there was not an urgency to try and run the football. The 1-2 punch of Elliott and Pollard combined for 12 carries. Defenses do not respect the Cowboys’ running game and are not allocating resources to the line of scrimmage. They are dropping four in coverage and being able to effectively run the ball would help Dallas sustain drives and open up the playbook. That starts with winning the battle up front. In Week 17, the Cowboys’ offensive line continuously got beat off the ball and the holes were not there. When they were, a penalty negated the gain. Despite having all five of the team’s presumed starters in 2021 playing together in Week 17, the Cardinals still finished with six quarterback hits and eight pressures. For Dallas to be a true contender in the playoffs, the offensive attack needs to include establishing the run and eliminating penalties. Tony Pollard (foot) has been ruled out of Saturday’s game and Corey Clement and JaQuan Hardy will see an increased workload at Philly.
- After rookie phenom Micah Parsons was added to the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Wednesday, two more followed suit a day later. On Thursday, left tackle Tyron Smith and cornerback Anthony Brown were added to the protocol. Mike McCarthy stated that the Cowboys have several players “that are sick” but have not officially tested positive. Based on the league’s COVID guidelines, Parsons, Smith and Brown are all expected to miss Saturday’s regular season finale against the Eagles but will likely be available to play in next week’s Wild Card round of playoffs. Both Dan Quinn and Kellen Moore will shuffle players around at Philadelphia. Moore said the staff feels comfortable with either Terence Steele or Ty Nsekhe at left tackle, who have both played snaps at the position. Steele will likely be the starter, having started five games at left tackle this season. Anthony Brown’s absence will provide additional opportunities for rookie Kelvin Joseph on the outside. Joseph started in Week 16 with Jourdan Lewis on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Brown shifted inside as the nickel and Joseph took Brown’s role on the outside. For Parsons’ role at inside linebacker, expect a rotation of Leighton Vander Esch, Keanu Neal and Luke Gifford.
- The Eagles are dealing with a COVID outbreak, placing 12 players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday. The list compiled several cornerstone players including Fletcher Cox, Dallas Goedert, Jason Kelce, Jordan Howard, Boston Scott, and Rodney McLeod. Under new guidelines, players can return to the team after only five days but must be symptom-free. Head coach Nick Sirianni noted the staff is still discussing whether to rest or play starters in Week 18. The team did announce on Friday that center Jason Kelce was activated from the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
- The Cowboys added two more players to the injury list on Thursday with an illness, including cornerback Trevon Diggs and safety Donovan Wilson. Both missed practice at the Star ahead of the Week 18 contest and were listed as questionable. The team’s leading tackler, Jayron Kearse was limited in practice this week with a hamstring injury and has been ruled out of Saturday’s game, along with Trevon Diggs (illness). Mike McCarthy stressed exercising caution with Kearse, stating “we just want to be smart with him.” Rookies Kelvin Joseph and Nahshon Wright will have increased roles.
- The Cowboys lost Michael Gallup for the season with a torn ACL suffered against the Cardinals. His body-control and big-play potential as a vertical threat acted as another weapon for Dak Prescott. Gallup’s acrobatic catches and sideline navigation would have benefited Dallas in the postseason alongside Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb, and now Cedrick Wilson will assume the WR3 role. Wilson has taken advantage of opportunities this season with 40 catches, 483 yards and four touchdowns as a rotational piece in the lineup with Cooper, Lamb and Gallup missing time throughout the year. He scored on a deep crossing route against the Cardinals and has earned Prescott’s trust when he takes the field. Wilson will have to step up as the Cowboys look to make a run in the playoffs.
